J Dilla’s Personal Vinyl And Beat Tapes Found In Detroit Storage Unit

JLBarrow • April 26, 2012 • No Comments

Record store owner Jeff Bubeck is a lucky man. The proprietor of a shop called UHF in Royal Oak, Michigan purchased a storage unit that belonged to the late James “J-Dilla” Yancey. In addition to many pieces of vinyl, Bubeck found literal tapes of Dilla’s beats collecting dust.

Upon first glance, Bubeck didn’t recognize the name on a few cassettes that read “JayDee’s Beats.” Junk mail addressed to James Yancey was mixed in with the musical gems. When he searched the name on Google, he found out he acquired the record collection of one of the most beloved hip-hop producers ever.

Over 7,000 pieces of vinyl were found, including 94-cent Earth, Wind And Fire records. The records are now being sold in his shop and he hopes to share the proceeds with The J-Dilla Foundation, though he says attempts to reach Mama Yancey have been unsuccessful. (Has he tried Twitter? @officialmadukes)